Of Gods And Monsters
by Revolution
Summary: Summary Change(first one didn't fit): Enter all who seek sanctuary, read the sign above the door. What happens when two young girls fleeing a dangerous criminal hide out in THe Manhattan Lodging House?
1. Sanctuary

They reminded her of the elephants she had seen when her mother had taken her and Lilliana to the circus, stomping around the alley like two big elephants.  
  
"Da boss is gonna kill us," whispered the one they called Cards.  
  
"Not if we don't tell 'im," replied Dice.  
  
Isabella Monticelli smiled as she slid further back in the alley; her hand clamped tightly against her baby sister Mona's mouth.  
  
"How da hell do we not tell 'im?" asked Cards.  
  
"Easy, let's go visit da goils in Harlem," exclaimed Dice "Den we'll look for dem goils tommorow."  
  
"All right."  
  
Isabella released Mona and wiped her palms on her torn dress.  
  
"Izzy?" asked Mona "What are we gonna do?"  
  
Isabella closed her eyes, seeing it all again. Slowly walking into her family's apartment, the cold blue of her mother's eyes, the crimson red of her older sister's blood and the pure hatred in their killer's eyes as he stood over their lifeless bodies.  
  
"I guess we oughta find somewhere ta stay for da night," whispered Isabella.  
  
She took Mona's hand and together they walked out of the alley. New York is such a large city that it was easy for two young girls to get lost in the crowds even in the dead of night. By the time they had reached the large brick building Mona was conked out and Isabella was carrying her tiny sister.  
  
"Da Newsies Lodging House," she exclaimed.  
  
Entri In Tutti Che Cerchino Il Santuario.  
  
Enter all who seek Sanctuary read the sign in several different languages.  
  
His name was Alexander but he had been called Kloppman by so many different generations of newsboys that he had nearly forgotten the headstrong Irishman who had opened the Lodging House so many years ago. Tonight it was his birthday and he was celebrating it with the only family he had left.  
  
"Happy Birthday!" yelled Racetrack Higgins as he proudly produced a small cake that his girlfriend Ribbons had made.  
  
"Tank you boys and goils," whispered Kloppman.  
  
"Aww, Klopp," laughed Revolution Fredrich drapping her arm around the aging man's shoulders "Ya aint gonna cry are ya?"  
  
"Hush," he exclaimed kissing her cheek "Hush and let me enjoy da company of mah kids."  
  
Revolution smiled and hugged him.  
  
Isabella opened the heavy oak door with a bump of her hip.  
  
"Mona?" she whispered "Wake up!"  
  
Setting Mona down on a chair, she looked around the dusty lobby of the old house.  
  
"'ello!" she yelled "Anyone 'ere?"  
  
"Yes?" asked Kloppman as he walked into the lobby.  
  
"Do ya 'ave a room free?" asked Isabella.  
  
"No, but we got beds free," replied Kloppman "Ya planning on becoming a newsgoil?"  
  
Isabella thought for a minute.  
  
"Yes," she replied "Me and mah sista." "Sign here," said Kloppman smiling gently.  
  
"Tank you," whispered Isabella.  
  
Carryin Da Banner, Revolution 


	2. Window Conversation

Isabella couldn't sleep, she'd close her eyes and see her sister as she once was. Shy, sweet and studious, Lilliana Monticelli was nothing like Isabella or Mona. She would often get in trouble for reading fairy tales instead of going out and playing in the sunshine. She got up from the uncomfortable bed and walked over to an open window.  
  
"Sono spiacente che il giglio, esso dovrebbe essere me." She whispered sticking her hand out the window and feeling the warm rain drip down her wrist.  
  
"Whose Lily?" asked a voice.  
  
"Whose dere?" asked Isabella.  
  
"Names Dark," replied the boy stepping into the light of the moon.  
  
"Dark?"  
  
"Yeah, Dark," he replied "Dark Loren."  
  
"Ya speak Italian?" asked Isabella.  
  
"All mah life," he said "Di chi Giglio?"  
  
"Non pensate che sono un po'personale considerando noi appena hanno venuto a contatto di?" Isabella laughed lightly.  
  
"Rispondete sempre ad una domanda con una domanda?"  
  
"occasionalmente" she replied.  
  
"Go To Sleep!" yelled a voice from inside the boy's bunk room.  
  
Isabella giggled.  
  
"Indovino questo sono buona notte" she whispered.  
  
"Ay," whispered Dark "Good night Mystery."  
  
"Good night Dark," she whispered as she walked back into the girls bunkroom.  
  
THE NEXT DAY...  
  
"Explain again to me!" yelled Snake "How could just lose 'im?"  
  
"New Yawk's a big town," whispered Cards "What was we supposed ta do?"  
  
"Kill dem when I told ya to!" yelled Snake "Now dere somewhere out dere and any minute now dey could go to da cops and get da whole operation shut down."  
  
"We're sorry boss," exclaimed Dice "We'll go look for dem now."  
  
Snake slowly drew his gun from his left boot and smiled dangerously.  
  
"No Dice," he whispered "I'll do it meself."  
  
The rest of the gang flinched when the shots rang out through the abandoned warehouse.  
  
"All Right!" yelled Snake "Cords, Spike, you guys take Brooklyn. I'll take Manhattan, you udda spread out. I want dose goils taken down."  
  
Dark looked around the Lodging House as the newsies began to trample downstairs on their way out. He wanted to see her, the girl he had spoken too at the window. The one who spoke Italian in a sad sweet way.Then he saw her, tall, thin, with wild raven colored curls streaming down her back.  
  
"Mistero," he whispered.  
  
  
  
Carryin Da Banner, Revolution  
  
Ps: The Conversation in Italian is basically as follows.  
  
Isabella:I'm sorry Lily, It should have been me.  
  
Dark: Whose Lily  
  
Isabella:Don't you think that a bit of personally question considering we just met?  
  
Dark: Do you always answer a question with a question?  
  
Isabella:Occasionally  
  
Isabella: I guess this is goodnight. 


	3. She's his sista

"Dark?" asked Revolution "I want ya ta meet someone."  
  
Dark nodded and ground out his cigarette with the tip of his ratty boots.  
  
"Dark, dis 'ere is Isabella," said Itey "And her sista Mona."  
  
Mona looked up at him grinning. Dark smiled at her, she was an adorable little girl with dark chestnut colored curls that hung around her pixie like face and dark green eyes that sparkled brightly. She was dressed in a pair of short pants that had been modified to fit her by tying them at the waist with a pink ribbon and a white shirt.  
  
"Hello sweethawt," he exclaimed bending down so that they were face to face.  
  
"'ello" she replied extending her hand.  
  
Dark laughed and took her tiny hand in his.  
  
"Dis is Mah Sista," Mona said.  
  
"Is dat so?" asked Dark laughing.  
  
She was a beautiful girl. Her eyes were a dark blue that reminded him of the sky just before a rainstorm, her hair was ebony colored and flowed down her back in wild curls. Her smile was wide and infectious.  
  
"Come on Mona," said Itey "Hop on mah back, we gotta git our papes before dere all gone."  
  
"Come on Isabella," said Revolution "We gotta take ya ta see Jack. Ya comin Dark?"  
  
"Nah," he replied "I promised Cords I'd meet 'er at da bridge and go wit her ta da doctas."  
  
"Sick again?" asked Revolution.  
  
"Yeah, Conlon convinced a docta ta look at her," he replied.  
  
"Send her da best fer us," said Itey.  
  
"I will," he replied.  
  
Isabella looked at her hands as they walked away.  
  
"His sista," whispered Revolution.  
  
"Huh?" asked Isabella.  
  
"Cords, She's Dark's twin sista and Spot Conlon girl," she replied smiling.  
  
"So?"  
  
Revolution looked at her and laughed.  
  
Jack Kelly hated staying in Brooklyn. It wasn't that he disliked the Brooklyn newsies it was just that the boys were so different from the Manhattan.  
  
"We got two new goils while ya were gone," said Kid Blink "Dey came last night while we was celebratin Kloppman's boithday."  
  
"God Dammnit!" whispered Jack "Did ya tell 'im why I wasn't dere?"  
  
"yeah," replied Racetrack.  
  
"Hope he wasn't pissed," Jack said collecting his papers.  
  
"Don't worry," said an angry voice "He undastood."  
  
Jack swore under his breath and turned slowly around to come face to face with a very angry Tragedy Collins.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry," he exclaimed "I tried ta tell Conlon dat I had plans but two more of his boys were attacked last night."  
  
"Who?" replied Jack's girlfriend.  
  
He smiled at her.  
  
"Tremor's fine," he replied.  
  
Tremor Mcknally was one of the youngest newsboys in Brooklyn and had a special place in Tragedy's heart.  
  
"Jack?" asked Itey "Dis heres Mona and Isabella."  
  
Snake hated newsies with a passion. They crowded the streets and made enough noise to wake the dead.  
  
"Buy me last pape mista?" asked a tiny newsboy.  
  
"Go to hell," whispered Snake lighting up a cigarette. 


	4. Dark

"Damn Cords," exclaimed Dark "Ya look like shit."

Katia Loren looked at her twin brother and smiled wryly.

"Tanks Dark," she whispered "Ya shoah know how ta make a goil feel good."

"Sorry," he replied wrapping his arm around her slim shoulders.

She flipped a long dark braid over her shoulder and coughed into her hands.

"We betta go," she whispered.

"Shoah," he replied looking at her nervously.

"I'm gonna be fine Dark," she said squeezing his hand.

"Ya betta be," he replied attempting to smile.

LATER THAT DAY…..

"Rev?" asked Isabella "Could ya take Mona back to da Lodging House for me? I got sumptin I gotta do."

"Shoah," replied Revolution "Ya want someone ta go wit ya?"

"Nah," Isabella exclaimed, "I'll be fine. Mona, ya stay wit Rev and Itey.""

For once her sister just bit her lip and nodded. 

"Just da flu," Cords announced happily as she walked out of the office "I just got da flu."

Dark sighed happily.

"Good," he whispered.

He had no idea what would have happened to him if he had lost her. Cords was his last link to the boy he used to be. 

_ "Take care of each udda," whispered Julitta Loren as she lightly carresed her daughter's hair._

_"Momma," whispered Alessandro "Don't leave us,"_

_"I'm sorry," she whispered._

_She slowly closed her eyes as the tuberculosis that had taken out so many before her claimed another victim. In the morning she would no longer be Julitta Loren, proud mother of twins, but just another corpse for the next burials._

_"Oh god," whispered Katia "What are we goin ta do?"_

Cords looked at her brother sadly, he had lost so much of what she had admired about him. Gone were the lazy days in which they would sit and talk, in its place were violence, smoke and the endless hours of carrying the banner.

"Hey Love," said Spot "What did da doc say?"

"Jus da flu," she replied "Like I told ya."

Dark shook his head.

"See ya around Cords," he said kissing her cheek "Take good care of 'er Conlon."

"Not a problem," replied Spot.

Dark slid his hands into his pockets and walked away.

Isabella looked up and down the street then slid into the alley beside her old house. 

"Mystery?" whispered Dark.

He crossed the busy street and followed the now familiar figure inside the large house.

"Whose Dere?" asked a heavily accented Irish voice.

"It's me," whispered Isabella.

Kaitlin Mkiernan smiled.

"Miss. Bella, it does me heart good ta see ya well. Ta be honest wit ya, I though fo shoah dat you an Miss. Mona were wit da angels yaselves," she exclaimed.

Isabella smiled and hugged the kindly elder women who had been their houskeeper for as long as she could remember.

"No Kait, me and Mona are safe," she said….


End file.
